Bathroom & Kitchen Guide

While using glass for your shower enclosure is an obvious choice, modern glazing technologies mean that there are a number of options available, ranging in price and quality. Here are a few tips for choosing the best glass for your shower to provide the perfect look and withstand the test of time.

Quality
Obviously your budget will be a factor when choosing the type of glass for your shower, but it is still important to get the highest quality possible. This sounds simple, but all the options can be a little overwhelming. Remember, your shower enclosure needs to be able to resist ongoing exposure to heat, humidity and a variety of cleaning products. Therefore, you want to make sure your glass is non-porous, easy to clean and will resist corrosion or discolouring. Finally, as a general rule, avoid using glass any thinner than a ¼ inch. To ensure you have all these bases covered, it’s best to find glass manufacturers specialising in shower products.

Low-iron glass
There is a lot more to glass than meets the eye, and one of those things is the iron content. If you cast your mind back to the 1960s and 1970s when glass doors first became popular additions to a shower enclosure, you would remember the standard glass look with a slight green tinge. These days, glazing techniques have developed and you can pick up high quality thick glass sheets with a low concentration of iron, making them clearer and more colour-neutral.

Bathroom Shower Glass Designs

There are a variety of glass designs, patterns and textures to give your shower enclosure a unique style to suit your personal tastes. If privacy is an issue, opaque styles like frosted or sandblasted glass would be a good option. For more modern designs and to enhance the concept of “space” in your bathroom, you can choose from clear or tinted glass, or combine any texture with an etched design. Here are three of the most popular glass finishes:

This clear glass shower enclosure by Ruscons (CA) spakles in this modern bathroom.

You can use sandblasted glass to create an exceptional and distinctive shower enclosure, like this one created by Joanne Stained Glass (US).

One you’ve chosen your glass, you will need to choose the right enclosure to best suit your bathroom. See our Bathroom Shower Enclosure Ideas for more details on modern and conventional shower enclosure styles.